Off-screen traffic information indicator

Abstract

An offscreen traffic information indicator system includes signal receivers for receiving traffic messages from proximate air and ground vehicles and a traffic indicator for determining the positions of the host aircraft and the proximate vehicles based on the traffic messages. Based on the locations of the host aircraft and proximate vehicles and their proximity to airport runways, the traffic indicator may designate runways as relevant runways (or receive relevant runway designations from the flight management system of the host aircraft) and designate proximate vehicles as relevant to the host aircraft. A display unit may display, along with a dynamic map of a region near the host aircraft, relevant runway indicators for relevant runways within the mapped region and offscreen traffic indicators for relevant aircraft positioned outside the mapped region.

We claim: 
     
       1. An offscreen traffic information indicator system, comprising:
 at least one signal receiver of a host aircraft, the at least one signal receiver configured to receive at least one traffic message associated with a vehicle proximate to the host aircraft; 
 at least one traffic indicator coupled to the at least one signal receiver and to a flight management system of the host aircraft, the at least one traffic indicator including at least one processor configured to:
 receive at least one of a first position of the host aircraft and a projected route of the host aircraft; 
 determine at least one second position of the at least one proximate vehicle based on the at least one traffic message; 
 determine at least one current range of a dynamic map displayed by a display unit of the host aircraft; 
 designate, based on one or more of the at least one first position, the at least one projected route, and the at least one second position, at least one proximate vehicle as an offscreen vehicle, wherein the second position of the at least one offscreen vehicle is outside the at least one current range; and 
 designate, based on the at least one first position, at least one runway of the dynamic map as a relevant runway; 
 
 the at least one display unit configured to:
 display the at least one dynamic map based on the at least one current range; 
 display, concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one offscreen traffic indicator associated with the at least one offscreen vehicle; and 
 display, concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one relevant runway indicator corresponding to the at least one relevant runway. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one traffic indicator is further coupled to a position receiver of the host aircraft and configured to receive the at least one first position from at least one of the flight management system and the at least one position receiver. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one traffic indicator is configured to determine, based on one or more of the at least one first position and the at least one second position, one or more movement characteristics of the at least one offscreen vehicle including at least one of a path of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a heading of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a bearing to the at least one offscreen vehicle, a distance to the at least one offscreen vehicle, a velocity of the at least one offscreen vehicle, an altitude of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a count of the at least one offscreen vehicle, an airborne status of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a ground-based status of the at least one offscreen air vehicle craft, and an intercept time of the at least one offscreen vehicle. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one display unit is configured to display the one or more movement characteristics of the at least one offscreen vehicle. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one display unit is configured to:
 define one or more first edges of the dynamic map, the one or more first edges associated with the at least one current range; and 
 display the at least one offscreen traffic indicator on, or proximate to, the one or more first edges based on the at least one second position. 
 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one traffic indicator is configured to designate as an offscreen vehicle, based on one or more of the at least one first position, the at least one second position, the at least one relevant runway, and the at least one projected route, at least one of
 a) a ground-based aircraft proximate to the at least one relevant runway, 
 b) an airborne aircraft proximate to the at least one relevant runway, and 
 c) a ground vehicle proximate to the at least one relevant runway, 
 wherein the second position of the at least one offscreen vehicle is outside the at least one current range. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the at least one display unit includes a synthetic vision system (SVS) configured to display the at least one dynamic map based on at least one non-overhead perspective; and 
 the at least one display unit is configured to display the at least one offscreen traffic indicator on, or proximate to, at least one second edge of the dynamic map based on the at least one second position. 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal receiver includes at least one Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) compatible receiver. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is embodied in at least one of an electronic flight bag, a mobile communications device, and a cockpit mounted avionics display system. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the host aircraft is a first host aircraft of one or more host aircraft, and the system is embodied in a ground-based control system wirelessly coupled to the one or more host aircraft. 
     
     
       11. An aircraft-based method for displaying offscreen traffic information, the method comprising:
 receiving, via at least one traffic indicator of a host aircraft, at least one of a first position of the host aircraft and a projected route of the host aircraft; 
 receiving, via at least one signal receiver of the host aircraft, at least one traffic message associated with a proximate vehicle; 
 determining, based on the at least one traffic message, at least one second position of the at least one proximate vehicle via at least one traffic indicator of the host aircraft; 
 determining, via the at least one traffic indicator, at least one current range of a dynamic map displayed by a display unit of the host aircraft; 
 designating, via the at least one traffic indicator, at least one proximate vehicle as an offscreen vehicle based on one or more of the first position, the at least one second position, and the projected route, wherein the at least one second position of the offscreen vehicle is outside the at least one current range; 
 designating, based on the at least one first position, at least one runway of the dynamic map as a relevant runway; 
 displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one relevant runway indicator corresponding to the at least one relevant runway; and 
 displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one offscreen traffic indicator associated with the at least one offscreen vehicle. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein receiving, via at least one traffic indicator of a host aircraft, at least one of a first position of the host aircraft and a projected route of the host aircraft includes:
 receiving, via at least one traffic indicator of a host aircraft, at least one first position of the host aircraft from at least one of a position sensor of the host aircraft and a flight management system of the host aircraft; and 
 receiving, via the at least one traffic indicator, at least one projected route of the host aircraft from the flight management system. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining, based on one or more of the at least one first position and the at least one second position, one or more movement characteristics of the at least one offscreen vehicle via the at least one traffic indicator, the one or more movement characteristics including at least one of a path of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a heading of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a bearing to the at least one offscreen vehicle, a distance to the at least one offscreen vehicle, a velocity of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a count of the at least one offscreen vehicle, an altitude of the at least one offscreen vehicle, an airborne status of the at least one offscreen vehicle, a ground-based status of the at least one offscreen vehicle, and an intercept time of the at least one offscreen vehicle; and 
 displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the dynamic map, the one or more movement characteristics of the at least one offscreen vehicle. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , wherein displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one offscreen traffic indicator associated with the at least one offscreen vehicle includes:
 displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the dynamic map, at least one offscreen traffic indicator associated with the at least one relevant aircraft on, or proximate to, one or more first edges of the dynamic map. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11 , wherein designating, via the at least one traffic indicator, at least one proximate vehicle as an offscreen vehicle based on one or more of the first position, the at least one second position, and the projected route, wherein the at least one second position of the offscreen vehicle is outside the at least one current range includes:
 designating, via the at least one traffic indicator, at least one of
 a) a ground-based aircraft proximal to the at least one relevant runway, 
 b) an airborne aircraft on approach to the at least one relevant runway, and 
 c) a ground vehicle proximate to the at least one relevant runway 
 
 as an offscreen vehicle based on one or more of the first position, the at least one second position, the at least one relevant runway designation, and the projected route, wherein the at least one second position of the offscreen vehicle is outside the at least one current range. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 11 , wherein displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one offscreen traffic indicator associated with the at least one offscreen vehicle includes
 displaying, via at least one synthetic vision system (SVS) configured to display the at least one dynamic map based on at least one non-overhead perspective and concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one offscreen traffic indicator associated with the at least one offscreen vehicle at, or proximate to, one or more second edges of the at least one field of view. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one display unit is configured to display the at least one relevant runway indicator via one or more of:
 highlighting, patterning, shading, and coloring the at least one relevant runway; 
 and 
 highlighting, patterning, shading, and coloring at least one runway indicator corresponding to the relevant runway. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 11 , wherein displaying, via the at least one display unit and concurrent with the at least one dynamic map, at least one relevant runway indicator corresponding to the relevant runway includes:
 one or more of
 highlighting, patterning, shading, and coloring the at least one relevant runway; and 
 highlighting, patterning, shading, and coloring at least one runway indicator corresponding to the relevant runway.